WHO: North Melbourne v Melbourne
WHERE AND WHEN: Blundstone Arena, Sunday, April 10, 1.10pm AEST
TV AND RADIO: Broadcast guide
TICKETS: Purchase tickets
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Match Centre
THE LAST FIVE:
R19, 2015: North Melbourne 19.13 (127) d Melbourne 14.8 (92) at the MCG
R23, 2014: North Melbourne 19.9 (123) d Melbourne 14.9 (93) at Etihad Stadium
R14, 2014: North Melbourne 15.17 (107) d Melbourne 10.6 (66) at the MCG
R18, 2013: North Melbourne 22.18 (150) d Melbourne 4.4 (28) at Etihad Stadium
R18, 2012: North Melbourne 19.13 (127) d Melbourne 11.7 (73) at Etihad Stadium
SUMMARY (AFL.com.au):
North Melbourne will deservedly enter Sunday's game warm favourites. The Roos have not lost to Melbourne since 2006 and will ride a 14-game winning streak into this latest clash. North has also made its best start to a season since 2005, recording impressive wins over Adelaide and the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba. Melbourne will be determined to rebound from a flat performance against Essendon last round that prompted coach Paul Roos to ponder whether his players had gotten ahead of themselves after a strong pre-season and the round one win over Greater Western Sydney. The Demons' ability to give a better account of themselves against North will reveal much about how far they've improved since last season.
Luke McDonald and Jack Viney in a fiery contest during the teams' last clash.
THE HEADLINES:
Hogan calls on Carey (Apr 7, 2016)
Melbourne forward Jesse Hogan is reported to have called upon former North champion Wayne Carey to help fast-track his development... MORE
Scott: 'Still work to do' (Apr 7, 2016)
Brad Scott says the Roos have a lot of work to do to get back to their best football... MORE
Opposing Threat: Melbourne (Apr 5, 2016)
The only current Demon to play in Melbourne's last win agaisnt North was Nathan Jones, at just 18 years of age and in only his fourth match... MORE
THE TEAMS:
North Melbourne
Backs: M.Firrito R.Tarrant S.Wright
Half Backs: S.Atley S.Thompson L.McDonald
Centreline: N.Dal Santo D.Wells B.Jacobs
Half Forwards: J.Ziebell J.Waite B.Harvey
Forwards: S.Higgins D.Petrie L.Thomas
Followers: T.Goldstein B.Cunnington A.Swallow
Interchange: T.Garner J.Macmillan S.Gibson B.Brown
Emerg: L.Hansen T.Dumont A.Mullett
In: S.Thompson
Out: L. Hansen
Melbourne
Backs: N.Jetta, T.McDonald, T.Bugg
Half Backs: M.Jones, H.Lumumba, C.Salem
Centreline: B.Vince, D.Tyson, C. Oliver
Half Forwards: J.Watts, A.Vandenberg, J. Harmes
Forwards: D.Kent, J.Hogan, B. Kennedy
Followers: M.Gawn, N.Jones, J.Viney
Interchange: L.Dunn, B.Stretch, S.Frost, J.Wagner
In: L.Dunn, B.Stretch, S.Frost, J.Wagner
Out: J. Garlett (ankle), C.Garland, A.Brayshaw, C. Pedersen
Key-defender Scott Thompson is set to take his place in the North team.
THE COACH SAID:
"Melbourne is a different outfit. We know they'll be coming out really aggressively and be really looking forward to the contest this week.
"We expect them to be really fierce and their NAB Challenge form was really positive. They looked like they had some slightly different ways of moving the ball and setting up.
"We'll just plan for their best and hope we can counter that." - Brad Scott
THE SIX STATS (AFL.com.au):
1. Lindsay Thomas kicked five goals and Shaun Higgins had 31 disposals and two goals in the Kangaroos' win over the Demons in 2015. North also had 20 more inside 50s and 10 more scoring shots than Melbourne.
2. North comfortably defeated the Brisbane Lions last Saturday, but took fewer marks (67-76), laid less tackles (46-51) and had less inside 50s (49-51) than the home team.
3. The Demons were dominated by Essendon in several statistical counts in last Saturday's shock loss, losing disposals 316-444, uncontested possessions 179-313, marks 68-139 and inside 50s 41-56. They also conceded 14 marks inside their defensive 50, with Bomber spearhead Joe Daniher taking nine of them.
4. North has been impressive recently at Blundstone Arena, winning its past six games. The Roos have a 7–2 record at the Hobart venue and haven't lost there since round three, 2013. Melbourne will be playing its first game in Hobart since 1952.
5. In the teams' past 14 clashes, the Kangaroos have averaged 116 points a game to the Demons' 73, while the Roos have scored 100 points or more in the past 10 of those games.
6. North has four players ranked higher in the Schick AFL Player Ratings than Melbourne's top-ranked player, Nathan Jones at No.75: Todd Goldstein, No.4, Brent Harvey, No.11, Nick Dal Santo, No.40, and Ben Cunnington, No.51.
Todd Goldstein will have a big task on his hands against Max Gawn.
THE BURNING QUESTIONS:
Will home ground advantage count?
Melbourne has never played at Blundstone Arena and if North's last game at the venue is anything to go by, the conditions can be extremely difficult to overcome. In round ten last season against the Eagle's, the Roos battled gale force winds to claims victory. The early forecast was for showers and 12 degrees, but that outlook has become more favourable as the week has progressed with 17 degrees and possible showers now expected. However, it's a far cry from the 32 degree heat North endured in Brisbane last week. In that game, the ball became slippery with the humidity taking its toll. It’s sure to be a similar story in Hobart, with the conditions sure to make handling the footy a lot tougher.
Will Harvey and Wells roam free?
Both Roo veterans are playing great football and Paul Roos may elect to try and negate one, or both with taggers. If so, the likes of Higgins, Dal Santo, Swallow, Cunnington and Ziebell will have to step up and do some serious damage.
Can Jesse Hogan respond?
He carries the weight of Melbourne's future on his shoulders and this week, Hogan's had the media on his back too. The likes of Matthew Lloyd have questioned the key forward's attitude, calling for him to be dropped to the VFL unless he improves his body language and output. With Robbie Tarrant in great form down back and Scott Thompson named in North's 25-man squad, Hogan will have his hands full.
Can Melbourne re-energise?
After an eight day break between games, Melbourne's players will have had plenty of time to recharge their batteries after Paul Roos revealed they were tired in round two.
Can Waite be contained?
Jarrad Waite is playing some of the best football of his career and looms as a huge threat to the Demons' chances of winning. Melbourne will have to decide whether its best defender goes to him, Drew Petrie or Ben Brown. The North talls will no doubt stretch the Demons' defence, especially if the rain holds off.
Who will Jacobs tag?
Jacobs’ shut-down role on Daniel Rich was huge in the context of last week’s game, but who does the tagger get against the Dees? He held Nathan Jones to just 12 disposals when the teams last met, but the likes of Jack Viney, Bernie Vince and Dom Tyson are also potential targets.
Will Ben Jacobs get the job on Dees' skipper Nathan Jones?
